The invention relates to a method for producing a novel texture of dough-based product, in particular, which can be processed in a sheeting line as a usual dough. The invention relates more particularly to a dough-based product including specific textural characteristics and the taste of non-wheat flour. The dough-based product of the invention is more particularly, although non-exclusively, related to frozen or chilled dough or bread-type products.
A bread-type product is made by baking a dough which has for its main ingredients wheat flour, water, yeast, salt and other possible ingredients. When these ingredients are mixed in correct proportions, three processes commence: (i) the protein in the flour begins to hydrate to form gluten, (ii) air bubbles are folded into the dough trapped in the gluten network and (iii) enzymes in the yeast start to ferment to produce carbon dioxide which diffuses into the air bubbles and brings about expansion of the dough. The role of gluten in the bread-making process is important. The gluten forms the continuous three-dimensional structure of the dough. It has peculiar extensible elastic properties: it can be stretched like elastic and possesses a degree of resilience.
The use of non-wheat flours or starches in bread-type dough is known. Raw materials such as rye, oat and barley flours are traditionally associated with bread or dough-making. Non-traditionally, raw materials such as maize, rice or tapioca flour have been used as possible wheat replacers in the composition of dough for making bread. This approach, motivated either by economic or nutritional considerations, has mostly overlooked the potential for “exotic” raw material as agents of texture in the creation or modification of bread.
Most of the previous studies in bakery have been focused on bread and on mimicking as far as possible the texture and appearance of “normal” wheat bread. Since no other flour has the bread-making ability of wheat flour, any substitution results in a loss of the desirable sensory and textural properties associated with wheat bread. A usual conclusion in most of the existing literature is that starch can be replaced only by rye or barley starch in bread (Hoseney, R. Carl. 1992. Physical Chemistry of Bread Dough. In Physical Chemistry of Foods, Schwartzberg H. G. and Wartel. W. H (eds.), pp. 445, Marcel Dekker, New York).
In usual replacement of the wheat flour, the non-wheat flour or starch is dry-mixed with wheat flour and the dough-making process is carried out including mixing with water, salt and other ingredients, optionally fermenting, sheeting and optionally final proofing the dough before baking it. The resulting dough is frequently weaker and its ability to be handled in a sheeting/make-up line diminishes by comparison to the well-controlled textural properties of wheat dough. Usually, the dough becomes non-machinable in conventional rolling lines when the amount of non-wheat flour exceeds 15 wt. % of the total flour content. As a result, the beneficial textural, nutritional and taste features of non-wheat flour have been largely overlooked in industrial bakery field or at least only exploited to a minor extent in the dough; i.e., only as replacer in relatively small proportions (less than 15 wt. %), which has proved to be ineffective to emphasize the specific benefits of the “exotic” flours.
It is also known to make non-wheat bread by replacing the gluten structure of wheat by gluten substitutes having binding functions and film forming properties to retain gas bubbles such as xanthan gum, carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC), hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC), hydrocolloids or surfactants (Kent's Technology Of Cereals, Fourth Edition, N. L. Kent and A. D. Evers, Pergamon, p. 215). However, these added components have a tendency to provide a chewy and non-crispy texture.
WO 00/59309 relates to a multi-layer toaster product comprising a first layer and a second layer wherein the first and second layers are constructed of dissimilar materials. The product is a toaster product having enhanced organoleptic properties which is more likely a freshly based cookie, and/or dessert and which is suitable for use in a vertical toaster. The first and second layers are simply assembled by binding but it does not result in a composite bread-type product.
WO 97/25871 relates to a laminated and/or flaky and/or extruded dough product comprising a main strip of a first dough and additional dough pieces made of at least one second dough into the main strip. The invention is primarily to superficially add a second dough of higher viscosity on a main band of dough but the dimensions and thickness of the dough band remains unchanged. The first and second doughs are both based on wheat flour.
Accordingly, there is a need for new dough products that have desirable textural characteristics and the taste of non-wheat flour. The present invention now provides such products.